Our commitment to human agency, stewardship and responsible professional practice Our purpose The Academy of Life Planning exists to restore human agency by helping people develop the knowledge, capabilities and confidence to understand their circumstances, make informed choices and act independently. We believe that human talents, knowledge and capabilities carry responsibilities as well as opportunities. … Continue reading Academy of Life Planning: Statement of Ethical Principles
Category: Academy News & Community
Academy programmes, people, campaigns, events and community developments.
Why agency matters now: build the ark before the rain
By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning Most people do not wake up wanting financial advice. They wake up wondering whether they can afford to leave a job. Whether retirement is possible. How to help their children without putting their own future at risk. What to do when an institution they trusted lets them … Continue reading Why agency matters now: build the ark before the rain
The Academy Ark: preparing for a flood of better questions
People are taking back control of their money and lives. The Academy is where planners learn to help them do it. An ark looks like an unnecessary expense while the ground is dry. There is timber to buy, work to do and no immediate evidence that any of it is needed. Meanwhile, the people around … Continue reading The Academy Ark: preparing for a flood of better questions
How to become an accredited Total Wealth Planner
Four pathways. One purpose: helping people take ownership of their lives and financial decisions. By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning People can access more financial information than ever. They can ask AI to explain a pension, organise their records or explore a planning question. What they still need is the capability to connect … Continue reading How to become an accredited Total Wealth Planner
A Family Office Without Handing Over the Controls
Our second TFO Friday explored how more families could access joined-up professional support—and remain firmly in charge. By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning | 23 October 2026 A family can have a financial planner, an accountant and a solicitor—and still find that nobody is joining everything together. Each professional understands part of the … Continue reading A Family Office Without Handing Over the Controls
Launching Academy Onboarding and Planner Succession
As people become more capable with AI the way we support them must change By Steve Conley | Academy of Life Planning | 21 October 2026 A financial planner retires. What happens to the people who have trusted them for years? An individual starts using AI to understand their life and money. What happens when … Continue reading Launching Academy Onboarding and Planner Succession
T.F.O friday: Building a Total Family Office for Every Family
Most families have pieces of a plan. Few have a plan that connects the pieces. A pension here. A mortgage there. A will written years ago. An ageing parent who may need care. Children finding their feet. Perhaps a business, a property, or responsibilities shared across generations. Each part may have received attention. But who … Continue reading T.F.O friday: Building a Total Family Office for Every Family
A £50 meeting with Steve Conley
A £50 meeting with Steve Conley "I need experienced help with a specific decision, without signing up to an ongoing advice relationship." If that sounds like you, this meeting is for you. About 50 minutes, £50, one conversation about the thing that matters right now. Most of the questions people bring are an 18-month problem, … Continue reading A £50 meeting with Steve Conley
Your Plan. Your OS. Your Support.
Introducing the new Total Wealth Planner website—and a practical model of planning we can build together A great deal of financial planning still begins with a professional asking for your information. You complete a fact-find. They build a plan in their system. You receive a report. Then life changes, and you may need the professional … Continue reading Your Plan. Your OS. Your Support.
The Academy Community Is Now Live on WhatsApp
Most people do not need a financial adviser beside them all the time. They need the right tools, somewhere trustworthy to ask questions, and access to an independent second brain when life becomes complex, stressful or uncertain. That is the thinking behind the new Academy of Life Planning Community on WhatsApp, now open to all … Continue reading The Academy Community Is Now Live on WhatsApp
